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Lurkers
The Lurkers are a reclusive, isolationist group found in the dense, foggy forests of King Island, Tasmania. Often thought of as the Bigfoot of the Bass Strait, the Lurkers are the very real survivors of the New Plague which killed off much of the island's population in 2090. Since this point, the Lurkers have survived by due to lucky genetics, heavy hazard gear and adapting to a tribal lifestyle. In 2287, the tribe is led by Darren McMilligan. History The Lurkers can trace their heritage back to the 2090s when the flourishing Post-War society on King Island was wiped out by the New Plague. With soaring death rates in Currie, refugees streamed out of the town, fleeing for the hills and forests of central King Island. Bodies piled up around the island, often dumped in huge piles outside settlement walls. In Currie, 96% of the Post-War population was killed. However, there were survivors of the plague. Whether through natural resilience or blind luck, refugees and farmers in the Pre-War Sea Elephant Conservation Area managed to survive the plague, developing a small settlement in 2101. A new outbreak of the New Plague quickly sparked a panic in the settlement. A stockpile of American Hazmat Suits was cracked into and distributed around the elite of the settlement. Of course, these suits were primarily meant to prevent toxic or radioactive damage, not the spread of disease. As such, those that did survive this outbreak did not get through due to their suits but natural resilience. With the settlement in ruins, the only remaining survivors were those few elites clad in Hazmat Suits. Anarchy descended among the scared refugees. It was only with the rise of Micheal Morano amongst the protective-gear clad survivors that any form of order arose. Bringing the survivors aware from the grave of the refugee camp and into the open fields of central King Island, Morano began to shape his followers into what he believed would be a better fit for the Post-War world. Tribal Birth Morano morphed the rough survivors of the New Plague into a new tribal identity until his death in 2117. Using fears about the plague reappearing, Morano placed a spiritual significance in the tribe's hazmat suits. Establishing small encampments but remaining mobile, the Lurkers - as they nicknamed themselves - roamed central King Island, hunting Roos and foraging for Bush Tucker. Morano's nudging and pushing soon brought about a change in the mentality of the group, shifting from scared refugees to hardened tribal hunters. When Morano died in 2117, his succession was a point of contention among the hundred tribals. Morano would have been pleased with how this issue was resolved: two of the best hunters amongst the tribe duelled with spears. When his opponent was killed, Daniel Haverdase became the tribal leader. This set about a pattern. Leaders would control the Lurkers, guiding them in hunts and through internal issues. The tribe survived off hunting and gathering, killing Roos and Mirelurks around the island. Life was hard and short, but it was life - any other way of living had long since been forgotten. Competition While King Island is in no way heavily inhabited, the encroachment of outside populations has endangered the Lurkers' traditional tribal lifestyle. The settlement of Whaler's Wash in sparked panic in the tribe. Sarah Donovan, the tribe's lorekeeper in 2252, recorded the following: The sight of "great, glowing, floating, bellowing tubs" around King Island (Hobson Bay Trading Company vessels) made the tribe go deeper into hiding. While the sign of abandoned camps and still smoking campfires informed the island's new inhabitants of the former owners, the island's reputation and the lack of sightings of the Lurkers made them little more than a ghost story. In 2287, the tribe is still deep in isolation and occupies only the open areas of the very interior of King Island, far from the new inhabitants. Long's Homestead has rekindled old fears in the tribe, but the lack of any sort of divine punishment from the island's new inhabitants make some members of the tribe open to contacting outside groups, The current chief, Darren McMilligan, is still reeling from the losses suffered on disastrous hunts in the past few years and has made no effort either way. Organisation The Lurkers are run as a simple Wasteland tribe, lead by various chieftains, strongmen and other dominant figures. Since the existence of the tribe, various leaders have led the group, usually based on their success in hunts, diplomatic prowess or vast network of friends and allies in the tribe. In 2287, Darren McMilligan leads the tribe having risen to authority due to a growing lack of candidates after the death of Steven "the Brave" Brave. McMilligan is neither a good or bad leader; the middle-aged man is simply there. Since he took control, the tribe has stabilised, though this may simply be due to them hitting rock bottom. Economy The Lurkers have the most rudimentary economy in King Island (even more rudimentary than the King Island Military Base!). The tribe is small enough for everyone to know everyone else and as such they share every single item they own. Hunts are performed as a community when food stocks go to low. Roos are the most common animal hunted, with their hides being a useful tool for patching the tribe's hazmat suits. These food stocks are supplemented by gathering and bush tucker. Scavenging is forbidden in Lurker culture. Relations While the Lurkers are spread throughout King Island, they have very few interactions with the other inhabitants of the island. While steering clear of the toxic and radioactive King Island Military Base and Posie's Glow, the tribe occasionally makes midnight thefts in Whaler's Wash or Long's Homestead. For the Fishers and whalers, the Lurkers are nothing more than a bedtime story - albiet a rather unpleasant one. Technology Hazmat Suit shown without tribal decorations. ]] The Lurkers, like the Mormons of Utah, are both technologically advanced and primitive. The traditional tribal costume of heavy gas-masks and protective gear receive the utmost care and support, with their filters regularly scrubbed and the lenses shining brightly in the sun. While no means exists of making new suits, all of these tribal hazmat suits are lavishly adorned with tribal decorations and repairs, ranging from Roo leather reinforcements to tribal paint schemes. In other regards, the Lurkers are less advanced. The group occupies small, primitive huts and lean-tos made of sticks, bark and leaves. No defensive features exist around the settlement other than natural defences. Hunts are performed with spears and bows. Occasional, a poorly made black powder rifle will be used but these are incredibly rare. Medical care is positively Stone Age, with life expectancy less than 30 years in age. Category:Tasmania Category:Groups Category:Tribals